Secrets
by thelosthikari
Summary: Shinwoo has secrets of his own. However, what will they cost him? (Han Shinwoo x M-21) P.S. now a full first chapter as of 14/09/02


_**Hello there,**_

_**I'm finally posting the full first chapter of the story. I did some slight corrections and decided to post and see what reactions I'll get, so REVIEWS PLEASE!**_

_**Have fun reading.**_

_**The Lost Hikari ^_^**_

* * *

01. Not really human

Han Shinwoo was tired. Even if it should be impossible for him, he felt like going to sleep and never getting up. Maybe then his nightmare would finally come to an end. However, he knew that it was practically impossible for him now. He would need to try very hard to find someone capable of putting him out of his misery.

It's been two weeks. Two weeks since his secret became known by the cursed Union's scientist named Dr. Crombel. Two weeks since he was taken straight from his home and to a lab. Two weeks since he felt nothing but pain every-damn-second and was subjected to a hellish torture called 'human experimentation'.

Crombel was very pleased by Shinwoo, his newest subject, and did most of the _work_ himself. Shinwoo wasn't a stranger to pain, but Crombel made him think that there wasn't anything more painful than being a guinea pig. The last batch of experiments were – however - the ones to make him think of ending it all. According to Crombel, because Shinwoo had an ability of quick healing - his cells self-regenerated - he was able to live through a painful process of coating his skeleton in adamantium, the strongest metal on Earth.

After the painful procedure, Shinwoo acquired an indestructible skeleton, ridiculous strength and higher speed, his previous animal-like senses sharpened even more, and what once were blades of bone that came out of each of his hand between the knuckles were now sharp and deadly metal, capable of cutting down anything in their path. Of course, because of his enhancements Shinwoo could easily escape so Crombel had him under lock and key. He never was let out of his cell without being heavily sedated and even if his metabolism was fast, he got doses that could kill fifty people. His second week in captivity ended with him praying for death or rescue, whichever came.

Shinwoo's third week started with discoveries. He found out – during rare times that he wasn't sedated – that he had an animal side. It strongly reminded him of a wild wolf. For some reason Crombel was in a good mood, so Shinwoo got to know that now he had a werewolf's heart. Turned out that he was right, it was a beast he felt inside him. He finally started thinking that he was a monster when Crombel put him in a fight against other experiments – failed ones, according to the doctor – and Shinwoo, out of pure instinct of a cornered animal, killed them when they attacked him. It was purely self-defense, but Shinwoo couldn't stop seeing blood on his blades and hearing their screams. It was torture in the highest of forms.

It was in the middle of the third week that his situation changed. It was a rare day of rest – meaning no experiments – for Shinwoo and he was laying around in his cell when suddenly an alarm started going off. Shinwoo's sensitive ears could pick up shouts of 'under attack', 'intruders' and the like. Sounds of a battle reached his ears right after. He wondered what was going on, when suddenly his very thick, metal, cell's door was blasted away. Shinwoo immediately crouched in a defensive position, blades out and growling. When smoke cleared, he was shocked to find Rai with an arm outstretched. Sure, he knew that Rai wasn't human, neither was principal Lee a.k.a. Frankenstein or the Ye Ran High's trio guard for that matter. He could tell even before he became a guinea pig due to his senses and also, whatever Rai did to his friends to make them forget all those 'incidents' didn't affect him. Shinwoo never forgot his encounters with super strong – no, monstrous – humans and the five saving him and his friends. However, he never dreamed of being rescued from Crombel by them, that's for sure.

"Shinwoo!" M-21, Tao and Takeo ran into the cell and froze when they saw Shinwoo frozen in a defensive crouch with his six blades out. The tree cursed in their minds for not protecting the teen since they all became good friends during all that time that Shinwoo and his friends spent with them in Frankenstein's house. They could see how much he lived though in his eyes.

Shinwoo's eyes locked onto M-21 and with each step closer, Shinwoo's body relaxed. He took in M-21's scent. It was a smell of smoke, woods and something purely M-21. As M-21 reached him, Shinwoo stood straight again. When M-21's arms gently wrapped around his body, Shinwoo finally felt safe and home. He just closed his eyes, relaxed totally in M-21's hold and sighed in relief.

"Thank you," Shinwoo whispered.

* * *

The rescue party – meaning Rai, Frankenstein, M-21, Tao and Takeo – were all in Frankenstein's home's living room, spread out on the couches and armchairs; the only one's missing were Seira and Regis as they were away on clan business and Shinwoo's friends to complete their not-so-little family. Shinwoo was comfortably nestled in M-21's side on the sofa, neither one left others' side for more than a bathroom break since the group left the lab. Apparently, M-21 turned very protective of Shinwoo and the red-head only felt safe near the man. It was the time for Q&A session and Shinwoo dreaded it. He didn't want them to see him as a monster.

"Now then," Frankenstein decided to begin, "do you understand what happened to you?" He asked Shinwoo straight out.

"Yes, _Dr. Crombel_," Shinwoo growled out the name, "was _very_ informative on what he was doing. He liked to gloat, _freakin' bastard…_" Shinwoo felt his rage bubbling under his skin, just waiting to come out. His wolf wanted to rip something. He felt M-21's arm, which was around him, hold him tighter and it made his anger recede for now.

"We're sorry," Takeo said suddenly.

"Yeah," Tao agreed.

"If you weren't close to us…" M-21 began, but was cut off by Shinwoo.

"It's not your fault. Even if I didn't know you, he still would've taken me. Someday…" Shinwoo said sadly.

"Why?" Frankenstein was curious.

"Because I was different even before the experiments."

"What do you mean?"

"Even before, I wasn't…a normal human." Shinwoo said. He was looking down at his hands, since he didn't wish to see their reaction when he told them.

"Elaborate," Frankenstein frowned. How could he miss anything about Shinwoo being different?

"Well," Shinwoo started, "before the experiments I was stronger than a normal human and faster, I'm sure you've noticed at least that. My senses were heightened and I had these…" Shinwoo showed them his blades. "Only, they weren't metal, but bone instead. Also, I had the ability to heal very fast, like you-can-shoot-me-in-the-head-and-I-would-be-fine fast. Somehow, Crombel figured out my abilities and took me straight from my home. He coated my skeleton in Adamantium. It's the strongest metal on Earth known to man. He also raised my strength, speed and senses, _and_ gave me a werewolf's heart." As he said this, everyone exchanged glances, but Shinwoo was oblivious to it. He was still staring at his hands as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. "He needed me because of my healing. If I couldn't heal, I wouldn't have lived through the procedure of Adamantium being applied."

"I see," Frankenstein had a thoughtful look for a while. "I'm sure that you also have questions for us."

At this Shinwoo finally looked up and gave Frankenstein a small smile. "You see, there's a little detail I forgot to mention," he said. "I remember _everything_. So, I only have one question for now. _What are you?_" He asked the stunned group. He could swear some jaws got acquainted with the floor.

"How?" Frankenstein asked and Shinwoo just shrugged. "You're a bundle of surprises, Han Shinwoo." He sighed.

Then came the explanation about the Nobles and the Noblesse – who was Rai – followed by the tale of modified humans a.k.a. Crombel's and the Union's experiments. Shinwoo listened attentively to every word of Frankenstein, with some explanations from Rai, Tao, Takeo and M-21.

When the story time was over with, came the time to check Shinwoo's condition. Frankenstein ordered Shinwoo to his lab and M-21 followed, everyone else got ready to eat since it was time for dinner. Shinwoo felt very uneasy being poked and prodded, but M-21's presence helped a lot or he would've run for the hills screaming bloody murder a long time ago.

After half an hour, he was deemed stable for now and told to go eat after taking a shower and changing clothes. He did as told, with M-21 following him, and took a so much needed shower after borrowing some clothes from his self-proclaimed bodyguard. When the two returned to the living room, everyone were eating already and Frankenstein was serving Rai.

Shinwoo sat together with M-21 again and ate in silence. After dinner, everyone relaxed with a cup of tea, especially Rai. Shinwoo was silently dreading the moment when he has to go to sleep. He never slept peacefully during those weeks as nightmares were his constant companion.

When it was time to sleep, Shinwoo got to occupy a guest room and M-21 reluctantly left him alone. Shinwoo didn't want to inconvenience anyone, so he just quietly lay on the bed and tried to sleep, even if just for a short time. At least one good thing came out of Crombel's experiments, Shinwoo not needing much sleep. Four to five hours were enough for him to be fully rested and he could, if need ever arose, to last three days without any sleep at all and still be in a condition to do battle. However, he also could burn out if he didn't rest for long. Shinwoo needed to sleep soon, he knew it, it was already his second day without more than an hour of sleep.

"Sometimes, I just hate my life." Shinwoo mumbled and closed his eyes.

* * *

_Now it's the fun part, my dear Shinwoo…_

"NO!" Shinwoo woke with a scream, drenched in a cold sweat, blades extracted to defend. "Damit," he slowly sat up and buried his head in his hands, his blades retracted after his mind figured that it was all just a dream. Shinwoo sighed, "I hate those dreams."

"Shinwoo?" M-21 barged into the room, he heard the shout and rushed over. "What's wrong?" He asked, calmer now when he saw that there was no danger. He went to Shinwoo and sat on the bed next to the red-head.

"Oh," Shinwoo finally noticed M-21's presence.

"Are you okay?" The silver-haired man asked.

"I'm fine." He spoke as if he was programmed to say that.

"Yeah, right." M-21 was not naïve to believe that. "A nightmare?"

Shinwoo nodded.

"Okay." M-21 stood up. "Come with me." He said and took Shinwoo's hand. He dragged Shinwoo out of the guest room and to his room. It wasn't far, that's why he was so quick to get to Shinwoo. On the way, they met Tao and Takeo, who easily understood what happened after seeing Shinwoo's face. They just smiled at the two and told M-21 to look after Shinwoo as they left.

When the two reached M-21's room, Shinwoo found himself being guided to the bed gently and then pulled on it by M-21. Shinwoo ended up in M-21's arms and on his bed, enveloped by warmth and that comforting scent. He was tense for a moment, but his body relaxed surprisingly quickly and he felt how tired he really was. It's been long since Shinwoo felt so warmed by another person just holding him. His parents stayed away when he turned nine and his 'abnormalities' – as they called his abilities – came to light. Actually, after that _fateful day_ Shinwoo practically raised himself since his parents feared and hated him.

"Thank you," Shinwoo found himself saying.

"For what?" M-21 asked.

"For simply being there…" Shinwoo trailed off as he fell asleep in M-21's arms feeling like nothing could hurt him now.

The next time Shinwoo woke up, he felt rested enough. He managed to sleep without dreaming. He stayed in bed for a while, just watching M-21. He smiled when he remembered M-21 dragging him to his room. He wanted to thank M-21 and everyone for their help, so he decided to make them breakfast since Seira was away until tomorrow. Shinwoo was quite a skilled cook, living practically alone tended to make one very capable of making food. He got started on breakfast right after taking a shower and changing to the clothes that he borrowed yesterday from M-21.

He finished right on time, since the table was filled with food when everyone else decided to appear. Shinwoo would've given anything to have a camera when he saw everyone's reaction to a hot meal waiting on the table and him in an apron.

"What are you all waiting for? A personal invitation? Food's getting cold." Shinwoo scolded the frozen group of men when they all just stared, even Rai.

Rai was the first to move and went to his usual seat, followed by Frankenstein. Then went Takeo and Tao, followed by M-21. As they ate the food Shinwoo got complimented a lot, even Frankenstein said that his prepared meal was fit for his master. Shinwoo just smiled gently at the group enjoying his food. It's been long since he made food for anyone else other than himself.

After breakfast it was time for school. Shinwoo refused to miss more school as he already did. He knew how to control his blades since he grew up with them, so Frankenstein let him do as he pleases after a quick check up in his lab. As Shinwoo's school things and uniform was still at home, he left an hour earlier to go and get it. Unsurprisingly, M-21 followed him. The man was already dressed in his usual suit. The two walked in silence. They got to Shinwoo's house in half an hour and like usual no one was home. M-21 found it odd, but refrained from saying anything for now. Shinwoo quickly went to his room and changed. He took his school bag and the duo left in a matter of minutes. When they reached the school, they were met by Tao and Takeo at the gate.

"You two are fast." Tao grinned. "I just saw Ik Han, Yuna and Suyi. I told them that you're coming today."

"Ah, thanks." Shinwoo nodded. "What's the official excuse of my absence?"

"That you were in an accident and that principal Lee took care of you." Takeo said.

"Okay," Shinwoo took in a deep breath, "time to face the music."

* * *

It's been two weeks since Shinwoo was rescued. He managed to get back into his routine and act like before. He still had nightmares, but he was thankful for not needing long hours of sleep. In those weeks he started to train with M-21, Tao and Takeo. He did great and managed to start winning against Tao and Takeo by the end of the second week, though he still needed more training to beat M-21 when the man is showing him his claws. It was all because he quickly got used to his changes as he wasn't normal to begin with.

After Seira and Regis returned, Shinwoo started cooking with Seira every time that he visited. She gladly accepted his help and they even exchanged recipes. For Shinwoo's friends it was a shock when they witnessed him cook for the first time. When they asked how he learned, Shinwoo skillfully directed their questions elsewhere. However, it never escaped those with good observational skills.

Shinwoo was enjoying his days together with his friends. He also grew close with fellow modified humans' trio, especially M-21. M-21 was always there when Shinwoo needed him. Little by little, Shinwoo was noticing that he was being drawn to M-21. It felt different than with his other friends. It was like his soul was calling out to M-21 and that call was getting stronger each day. It was in the third week that everything started really changing for Shinwoo.

It was Monday and like always, Shinwoo went to school after making himself breakfast. He met Tao and Takeo by the gate, M-21 was patrolling the back of the school. After a greeting and a short chat he went to his class. He found everyone already there and after some chatting, the lesson began. His day went by smoothly and he enjoyed being with his friends. However, at lunch he was called out by a group of seniors to the back of the school. Shinwoo was used to crazy punks wanting to challenge him, so he went there without much thought. He was met by a group of five, they all seemed like nothing compared to his new strength.

Shinwoo expected them to attack the moment he got there. He never expected them to shoot him with a tranquilizer dart instead. Apparently, this group knew that they couldn't beat Shinwoo normally. Shinwoo felt the drug's effect right away and he staggered. The tranquilizer was strong enough to make him weak for a while and it didn't bode well for him.

"We've been watching you for quite some time, Han Shinwoo." The leader of the group came forward and Shinwoo was cornered by the five surrounding him and forcing him against the wall. "You're quite an eye candy."

Shinwoo felt shivers, and not those of a pleasant kind, run down his spine. Now he understood what they wanted from him. Four others quickly restrained him before he could run away. He hated being touched by them, it felt disgusting. He felt the drug's effects slowly lessening, but it was too slow for his liking. He needed his strength back.

"D-don't touch me!" Shinwoo stuttered out.

"Behave," the leader growled and Shinwoo got a punch to the stomach, it left him breathless and some tears gathered in his eyes.

"B-bastard," Shinwoo said as fiercely as he could. He wasn't going down so easily. His words of resistance only got him a few strong slaps; he tasted blood in his mouth after that. _No, please!_ He cried out in his head as he was slowly being undressed. _I don't want them to touch me! M-21!_ He called out loudly in his mind.

"_Let. Him. Go._" M-21's voice surprised the group. The man was looking murderous. His eyes were promising pain of the highest degree. "NOW!" He growled.

The five jumped and let go of Shinwoo, who slid down the wall and sat on the ground trembling. He hugged his knees and drew them close while trying to calm down. The drug's effects were finally almost nonexistent. He silently watched as M-21 dealt out punishment – well, more like beat the crap out of the five and send them to the principal – and when his attackers were gone, he finally relaxed.

"Shinwoo?" M-21 turned worried eyes on the red-head. Thanking God that he came when he did, he slowly walked towards Shinwoo sitting on the ground. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Shinwoo answered quietly. "Thank you for saving me, again." He said and looked up.

M-21 saw the fading bruises on Shinwoo's face and almost went on a rampage. It was because of the tranquilizer that Shinwoo's wounds took more time to heal. M-21 sat down next to Shinwoo, but didn't touch him. He didn't want to scare the red-head. He took in the sweet, alluring smell of Shinwoo that drew him in ever since the rescue. It was only recently that he recognized his beast's instincts that told him of Shinwoo being his mate. He had no choice but to accept it when the resisting hurt too much.

Shinwoo silently sat by M-21. The man's scent calmed him down like magic. He didn't even notice how his head ended up on M-21's shoulder or how he came to sit in M-21's lap. The only thought in his head was 'this is nice', while M-21 hugged him and drew him closer thinking 'MINE'. Their whole interaction was watched by Frankenstein via the security cameras as he punished Shinwoo's attackers wearing a grin that made the five pray for a swift death.


End file.
